Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS)

The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) was a joint
scientific project sponsored by the United Kingdom, the United States, and the
Netherlands. IRAS was launched in January of 1983 and ended its mission
ten months later. IRAS' mission was to map the entire sky at
infrared
wavelengths. It was equipped with a special infrared telescope to scan the
sky. IRAS was the first satellite to discover a comet. The comet
IRAS-Araki-Alcock was named for the probe and two co-discovering astronomers.
During its lifespan, IRAS observed 20,000 galaxies, 130,000 stars and
90,000 other space objects and star clusters. IRAS detectors found a
disk of dusty material and fine rock around the star Vega which may be an early
stage in the formation of a new solar system. IRAS' most famous
discovery was that of a new type of galaxy, a starburst galaxy. In starburst
galaxies, new stars are forming more rapidly than in other types of
galaxies.